Quick Navigation
How to Block Google Ads
Sometimes the internet can feel like an endless billboard plastered with countless ads for products you’d never purchase. Aggressive advertising not only clutters your screen but can also distract you from important tasks, reducing productivity. Are you tired of Google invading your online space with intrusive advertisements? Let’s discuss how you can block most ads and enjoy the internet without all of that extra noise.
VeePN is one of the most comprehensive tools available for blocking unwanted ads and preventing Google and others from tracking you online. Browsing the internet with an active VPN encrypts your connection and conceals your identity from trackers. On top of that, VeePN’s additional privacy tools effectively block ads, malicious websites, and any tracking attempts. Try VeePN now and browse the web your way.
How to stop Google ads
While Google itself doesn’t offer the option to stop seeing advertisements, using the right ad-blocking tools can help create a more enjoyable online experience. Google made a massive $61.2 billion in advertising revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021, so you can understand why the company doesn’t make blocking or skipping ads easy. Fortunately, for every problem there exists a worthy solution.
Types of Google ads
Here’s a list of the different types of Google ads you may encounter in the wild:
- Search
- Display
- Video
- Shopping
Search ads appear in Google’s search results as promotional text-based entries. Promoted pages sit at either the top or bottom of organic results and should contain content relevant to the keywords you entered. While Google clearly marks advertising as such, you may find yourself accidentally clicking an ad if you’re not paying close attention.
Display ads are visual promotions that appear on websites and other platforms connected to Google’s Display Ad Network. Whenever you encounter a banner or other noticeable online advertisement, you’re likely looking at a display ad. While advertisers tend to make these ads visually appealing, they can be intrusive when abused or overused.
Video ads appear on YouTube and other websites that opt to show this type of advertising. While skippable ads aren’t usually intrusive, sitting through an unskippable video advertisement about a product you don’t care about can feel like torture. On top of that, video ads that loudly autoplay when you load a page or scroll through a website shouldn’t exist in the first place.
Shopping ads display relevant products in Google search results and within the Shopping tab. Advertising of this type provides a visual element and a descriptive product name to catch your attention and try to persuade you to make a purchase.
Stop Google ads with VeePN browser extension
Some Google ads are more intrusive than others, and knowing how to block advertising at any time can greatly enhance your online experience. Luckily, VeePN’s Chrome browser extension provides an effective ad blocker that you can quickly enable whenever you need it.
Here’s how to stop Google ads with VeePN’s Chrome extension:
- Click the Extensions icon in Chrome and select VeePN
- Toggle AdBlock on
That’s it. With AdBlock enabled, you can browse the web ad-free and avoid unnecessary distractions. Some sites won’t respond well when they detect an active ad blocker, but you can quickly disable the feature at any time when necessary.
Stop Google ads with VeePN app’s privacy tools
While the following example relates to the VeePN app for macOS, the steps for Windows and mobile devices are similar.
Here’s how to stop Google ads with the VeePN app:
- Download and install VeePN
- Launch the VeePN app and go to Privacy Settings
- Check Block Ads to enable the feature
- Activate the VPN and enjoy an ad-free internet
If you want to stop Google ads across all platforms on your device, the VeePN app is the ideal solution. While the browser extension can block advertising in Chrome, it doesn’t extend to other apps you use. However, the VeePN extension may be more convenient when you don’t want to fully enable your VPN.
Google ads personalization and how to opt out of it
When you encounter a Google ad, you may notice something eerie about the content. Perhaps a banner shows a product you were just discussing with a friend. Or maybe you suddenly see a trailer for a movie you’re thinking about seeing. That’s ad personalization in action.
But how could Google possibly know so much about you? Is it dark tech wizardry or something more sinister? Let’s find out.
How Google knows everything about you
Every time you use a Google service, the company collects valuable information about you, your personality, and your browsing habits. Google ostensibly uses this data to perform targeted advertising, which is fairly evident when you start seeing ads that are eerily relevant to you.
Here are some of Google’s services that could be collecting your data:
- Google search
- Chrome
- YouTube
- Maps
- Gmail
- Android OS
- Play Store
- Google Photos
As you can see, interacting with any of Google’s many services can feed the company information that it may use to direct targeted ads your way. In Google’s defense, it does also gather data for less nefarious purposes, such as product improvement and user safety, but advertising really is the main game.
Surprisingly, however, Google does allow you to opt out of ad personalization. Let’s discuss the process.
How to stop personalized ads in Chrome and other apps
Here’s how to adjust your Google account preferences to stop personalized ads in Chrome and other relevant platforms:
- Go to your Google Account
- Select Privacy & personalization
- Click or tap Ad personalization in the Ad settings section
- Switch Ad personalization off
You can perform the steps in any browser, and, because the setting links to your Google account, the change will affect all relevant apps and devices.
Which search engines don’t target you with personalized ads?
Avoiding Google is a near-impossible feat. However, if you do want to make the switch, several search engines that don’t engage in targeted advertising, such as DuckDuckGo, do exist. Google may be popular, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a worthy replacement. Here’s a list of search engines that don’t track you or show personalized ads:
Switching to a new search engine can be jarring. But once you become familiar with your alternate platform of choice, you may start to realize that Google isn’t that great after all.
A good ad-blocker stops most Google ads
Google seems to have its tentacles in every online space, but you can mitigate some of the company’s influence by disabling ad personalization. For additional protection, use an ad-blocker — like the one in the VeePN app or browser extension — to shield yourself from other intrusive advertising and create a more pleasant online experience. You don’t have to let Google’s annoying ads ruin your day.
